GreenphoeniX
Well-Known Member
This is a basic guide of How to Control Indoor Pests Organically, hopefully it will be helpful to some of you.
Pictures are not to scale.
For more of my guides to come, simply search Titles only, keyword: GreenX How to's
Pest: Fungus Gnats
Danger Rating: 2/5
What they look like: Adult fungus gnats are small gray to black flies with long, slender legs and thread-like antennae. Their wings are mostly clear.
Larvae are clear to creamy-white and can grow to about 1/4 inch long. They have shiny black head capsules.
Prevention: Make sure there is no open windows without screens on them. Dont bring plants, pots or soil indoors, from outdoors.
Control: Put sticky traps on the surface of the soil. Putting sand on the surface of the soil will suffocate the eggs. Tobacco Juice will kill them. (Tobacco Juice recipe at end of thread).
Pest: Leaf Miners
Danger Rating: 3/5
What they look like: They leave grey to white coloured, squiggly lines in your leaves as they burrow through them.
Prevention: Dont bring outdoor plants indoors.
Control: You can remove affected leaves and discard them. Otherwise Chemical Insecticides are usually required, although theyre only targeted at the emerging adults as larvae is protected inside the leaves.
Pest: Nematodes
Danger Rating: 3-4/5
What they look like: They're microscopic and live in the soil so you won't see them.
Prevention: Sterilize soil by heating it in the oven to 350 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes before using. (This will kill any pests in the soil). Yes it will smell funny haha.
Control: Tobacco Juice will kill them. Repeat application every 7 days if you want to be extra safe. (Tobacco Juice recipe at end of thread).
Pest: Scale
Danger Rating: 2-3/5
What they look like: Small gray to white, sometimes brown to black lumps, with a hard shell, theyre found on stems, underside of branches, and trunks.
Prevention: Mostly a problem with outdoor plants. Dont bring outdoor plants indoors.
Control: Best way to control them indoors is to squash them by hand and wash are with water. Controlling ants in the area will help prevent them from spreading as ants carry their eggs to different parts or the plant, thus spreading them.
Pest: Spider Mites
Danger Rating: 5/5
What they look like: Theyre usually so tiny you cant see them with the naked eye.
Prevention: Dont bring outdoor plants indoors. Buy sterilized potting mix, or sterilize it yourself by heating it in the oven to 350 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes before using. Yes this will smell funny haha.
Control: Tobacco Juice with Chilli Powder added to it will kill them. Make absolutely sure you retreat frequently. Spider Mites easily become resistant to treatment and a range of Chemical Insecticides is often most effective.
Spider Mites absorb moisture from the air so raising the humidity in your grow room a lot will kill the spider mites off by causing them to absorb too much moisture and bursting.
Pest: Symphilids
Danger Rating: 4/5
What they look like: Small pests that are tan to white coloured and look like centipedes. Typically you wont see them because they burrow down into the roots and feed on them.
Prevention: Sterilize soil by heating it in the oven to 350 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes before using. (This will kill any pests in the soil). Yes it will smell funny haha.
Control: Tobacco Juice will kill them. Repeat application every 7 days if you want to be extra safe. (Tobacco Juice recipe at end of thread).
Pest: Thrips
Danger Rating: 3-4/5
What they look like: They are tiny, but can be seen by the naked eye. Some may have wings and some may not. They are black in colour and leave a black, oil like residue on the leaves of infected plants.
Prevention: Garlic repels Thrips. Good for outdoor grows as well as indoors.
Control: Put up sticky traps. For severe infestations Garlic & Pyrethrum may need to be sprayed on them or a range of Chemical Insecticides.
Thrip Damage:
Pest: White Flies (Fly)
Danger Rating: 2/5
What they look like: They look like tiny white months. They can be seen by the naked eye if you look closely.
Prevention: Do not over water your potted plants. Allow the soil to dry between watering and provide good drainage.
Control: Put up sticky traps, these are bright yellow and can usually be bought from your local grow store or garden centre. Theres not a lot of other ways to get rid of White Flies organically, but they tend to be easy to get rid of and are really only a problem in large numbers.
_______________________________________________________
Tobacco Juice recipe:
1 - Take 3 strong cigarettes.
2 - Soak them over night in water.
3 - Boil for 2 to 3 minutes and let it cool off
4 - Spray the plants, and/or use as a soil drench, 3 to 4 times a week.
Pictures are not to scale.
For more of my guides to come, simply search Titles only, keyword: GreenX How to's
Pest: Fungus Gnats
Danger Rating: 2/5
What they look like: Adult fungus gnats are small gray to black flies with long, slender legs and thread-like antennae. Their wings are mostly clear.
Larvae are clear to creamy-white and can grow to about 1/4 inch long. They have shiny black head capsules.
Prevention: Make sure there is no open windows without screens on them. Dont bring plants, pots or soil indoors, from outdoors.
Control: Put sticky traps on the surface of the soil. Putting sand on the surface of the soil will suffocate the eggs. Tobacco Juice will kill them. (Tobacco Juice recipe at end of thread).
Pest: Leaf Miners
Danger Rating: 3/5
What they look like: They leave grey to white coloured, squiggly lines in your leaves as they burrow through them.
Prevention: Dont bring outdoor plants indoors.
Control: You can remove affected leaves and discard them. Otherwise Chemical Insecticides are usually required, although theyre only targeted at the emerging adults as larvae is protected inside the leaves.
Pest: Nematodes
Danger Rating: 3-4/5
What they look like: They're microscopic and live in the soil so you won't see them.
Prevention: Sterilize soil by heating it in the oven to 350 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes before using. (This will kill any pests in the soil). Yes it will smell funny haha.
Control: Tobacco Juice will kill them. Repeat application every 7 days if you want to be extra safe. (Tobacco Juice recipe at end of thread).
Pest: Scale
Danger Rating: 2-3/5
What they look like: Small gray to white, sometimes brown to black lumps, with a hard shell, theyre found on stems, underside of branches, and trunks.
Prevention: Mostly a problem with outdoor plants. Dont bring outdoor plants indoors.
Control: Best way to control them indoors is to squash them by hand and wash are with water. Controlling ants in the area will help prevent them from spreading as ants carry their eggs to different parts or the plant, thus spreading them.
Pest: Spider Mites
Danger Rating: 5/5
What they look like: Theyre usually so tiny you cant see them with the naked eye.
Prevention: Dont bring outdoor plants indoors. Buy sterilized potting mix, or sterilize it yourself by heating it in the oven to 350 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes before using. Yes this will smell funny haha.
Control: Tobacco Juice with Chilli Powder added to it will kill them. Make absolutely sure you retreat frequently. Spider Mites easily become resistant to treatment and a range of Chemical Insecticides is often most effective.
Spider Mites absorb moisture from the air so raising the humidity in your grow room a lot will kill the spider mites off by causing them to absorb too much moisture and bursting.
Pest: Symphilids
Danger Rating: 4/5
What they look like: Small pests that are tan to white coloured and look like centipedes. Typically you wont see them because they burrow down into the roots and feed on them.
Prevention: Sterilize soil by heating it in the oven to 350 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes before using. (This will kill any pests in the soil). Yes it will smell funny haha.
Control: Tobacco Juice will kill them. Repeat application every 7 days if you want to be extra safe. (Tobacco Juice recipe at end of thread).
Pest: Thrips
Danger Rating: 3-4/5
What they look like: They are tiny, but can be seen by the naked eye. Some may have wings and some may not. They are black in colour and leave a black, oil like residue on the leaves of infected plants.
Prevention: Garlic repels Thrips. Good for outdoor grows as well as indoors.
Control: Put up sticky traps. For severe infestations Garlic & Pyrethrum may need to be sprayed on them or a range of Chemical Insecticides.
Thrip Damage:
Pest: White Flies (Fly)
Danger Rating: 2/5
What they look like: They look like tiny white months. They can be seen by the naked eye if you look closely.
Prevention: Do not over water your potted plants. Allow the soil to dry between watering and provide good drainage.
Control: Put up sticky traps, these are bright yellow and can usually be bought from your local grow store or garden centre. Theres not a lot of other ways to get rid of White Flies organically, but they tend to be easy to get rid of and are really only a problem in large numbers.
_______________________________________________________
Tobacco Juice recipe:
1 - Take 3 strong cigarettes.
2 - Soak them over night in water.
3 - Boil for 2 to 3 minutes and let it cool off
4 - Spray the plants, and/or use as a soil drench, 3 to 4 times a week.